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Why Pittsburgh won: The Penguins final decided to play a full team game and, most importantly, had confident, steady goaltending behind them. It's not a coincidence that the two games they've dominated in this series have started from quality play in the crease.

Why New York lost: This was a different Islanders squad from the one we saw in Games 2, 3, and 4. It's not surprising there was an emotional letdown after Game 4, but New York came out flat and could never generate any sustained pressure. Physicality and speed, the Isles calling cards in this series so far, were lacking. The loss of Andrew MacDonald on 'D' has had an impact on the back end.

Play of the game: A no-brainer if there ever was one - Sidney Crosby's defense-splitting rush was one of the playoff's best so far and was the game's dagger. There was no coming back from a 3-0 hole.

Three Stars
1. Sidney Crosby: A goal and an assist. Not a dominating performance, but still best of the Pens in an overall team effort. Led all forwards in ice time by a large margin.

2. Tyler Kennedy: In his first game of the series, scored slick opening goal on a breakaway when tally the other way could have turned the tide.

3. Tomas Vokoun: Wasn't tested often, but stood tall when needed to, making 31 saves. Made a beauty pad stop on a John Tavares partial break in the second frame.

What's next: After the Islanders were embarrassed in Game 1, they bounced back with a much more dialed-in effort. They'll need the same, this time at home, to stay alive in this series come Saturday. The Penguins had far too much room in Game 5. Starting with Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner, New York will need to get engaged physically right from the drop of the puck. That and a much-better performance from Evgeni Nabokov are a must if they hope to force a deciding game. - Edward Fraser

Why Ottawa won: Ottawa did it Thursday night with its usual helping of Craig Anderson heroics and opportunistic scoring. Anderson made most of his best saves during a first period in which Montreal outplayed Ottawa and the Sens repaid him with two goals before that stanza was up. The Sens beat a bewildered Peter Budaj by regularly sending bodies to the net and generating traffic in front of him. Cory Conacher’s goal came because Jean-Gabriel Pageau attacked the middle of the ice; Kyle Turris scored because he charged toward Budaj and was shoved into him by Tomas Plekanec; and Daniel Alfredsson’s third-period dagger was the result of a perfect screen by Colin Greening.

Why Montreal lost: It wasn’t for lack of trying – in the first period, at least. The Habs were flying and throwing everything they had at Anderson. But the standout Ottawa stopper seems to discourage teams the same way Dominik Hasek used to in his prime (that does NOT mean I’m comparing the two). After he robbed Rene Bourque in the opening minutes, Ottawa answered with two goals, aided by some horrible rebound control by Budaj. It’s hard to blame a loss on a goalie, but the Habs really needed a lift from him and his shakiness put them in an insurmountable hole. Not that the loss was all Budaj’s fault. Facing elimination, Montreal inexplicably came out with all the moxie of a tranquilized sloth for the third. This team quit.

Play of the game: Midway through the second, Erik Condra floated a shot on net just as Plekanec shoved Turris into Budaj. The pucked bounced off Turris and in, giving Ottawa a 3-1 lead. Boos rang out in the Bell Centre and you could sense Montreal didn’t believe it could put two more pucks past the white-hot Anderson.

Three Stars
1. Craig Anderson: He simply dominated this series. Like many other nights, he stoned the Canadiens even when the ice was tilted in their favor. But Game 5 was particularly impressive because his effort, combined with Budaj’s atrocious game, mentally broke Montreal.

2. Kyle Turris: He’s maturing into a complete player and he showed it tonight, acing his defensive zone coverage and potting a shorthanded goal.

3. Marc Methot: Wasn’t too noticeable aside from an assist, but that’s the point. He was a true shutdown D-man tonight, regularly forcing Montreal forwards onto the perimeter, where they could only manage low-percentage shots.

What’s next: As disappointing as this series went, 2012-13 was no failure for GM Marc Bergevin’s Habs. This team went from 28th overall last season to the Northeast Division crown and will only get better with youngsters such as P.K. Subban and Alex Galchenyuk to build around. As for the Senators, Anderson has shown the ability to keep them in any series going forward. They’re getting healthier and – who knows? – Jason Spezza could return for Round 2 now that they’ll get an extended rest. – Matt Larkin

Why Chicago won: The Hawks just have way too much for the Wild to handle over a playoff series. Look at any team currently winning its series or already in the second round and you’ll see some secondary production. The Hawks not only have secondary help, but tertiary and quaternary as well. Any championship team has that in their arsenal and it’s why Chicago is in that class. Next.

Why Minnesota lost: The most obvious reason is the horrible injury luck with their goaltenders that struck before Game 1 even started. Josh Harding started, but something still wasn’t right with his leg and when that began to show, Darcy Kuemper came on in relief. Minnesota's best chance to win Game 5 was in the very first period, when it took the play to a slow looking Hawks team. Minnesota didn’t grab it, fell behind and looked defeated after the goalie change. All-in-all, this series was a pretty good showing for the Wild, though. They gave the Hawks two overtime games and gained some valuable experience. No doubt this team is headed in the right direction.

Play of the game: Marcus Kruger’s wraparound originally looked like it was going to be a harmless attempt, but Josh Harding had trouble sliding across and came awkwardly to the post with a gaping five-hole. The goal was ugly, but it gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead and demoralized the Wild.

Three Stars
1. Marian Hossa: Scored two nice goals and added an assist, adding to a playoff resume that is rivaled by very few.

2. Jonathan Toews: Captain Serious picked up his first two assists – and points – of the series, five shots, won 59 percent of his faceoffs and was his usual two-way menace, grinding down the beaten Wild.

3. Corey Crawford: Was tested less and less as the game went on, but he gets the nod for keeping the Wild off the board when they were the ones pushing the play in the first period.

What’s next: The Wild take to the off-season with their heads held high and a bright future in sight. Niklas Backstrom, injured for this series, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and needs to be kept so they have the backing of a steady No. 1, when he’s healthy. Chicago looks ahead and will likely match up against the on-fire San Jose Sharks, unless Detroit comes back in its series against Anaheim. Either way, the Hawks swept the regular season against both and will be the favorite. – Rory Boylen

Blackhawks emergency backup Eric Semborski gets his own rookie card

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Blackhawks emergency backup Eric Semborski gets his own rookie card

Eric Semborski landed himself the opportunity of a lifetime when he strapped on the pads as an emergency backup for the Blackhawks, and now Topps has commemorated the moment with a Semborski trading card.

Eric Semborski’s dream came true when he stepped on the ice as an NHL goaltender, albeit an emergency backup, on Dec. 3, and now he’s got an incredible piece of memorabilia to show for it.

Just days after the 23-year-old made his rookie debut, trading card company Topps has unveiled the official Eric Semborski rookie card. That’s right: the 23-year-old has his very own trading card. The card is part of Topps’ NOW series, which features milestone or memorable moments and are made available shortly after the achievement.

Semborski’s stint as the Blackhawks emergency goaltender came due to regular starting netminder Corey Crawford was sent to hospital to undergo an appendectomy. The Blackhawks were scrambling to find a replacement for Crawford, and a backup for Scott Darling, when they started asking around to find an emergency amateur netminder to fill in.

Semborski, a former goaltender at Temple University, was working with children at the Flyers’ practice facility when he was called to sign on for emergency duty. Hilariously, Semborski wore a Blackhawks No. 50 jersey — which most will recognize as Crawford’s number — when he took the ice for warmup. Of the chance to stop NHL shots in warmup, Semborski said it was the best moment of his life.

Possibly the only thing that could have made the moment better was if Semborski actually got into the game and, as it turns out, that was very nearly the case. Post-game, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said that had the Flyers scored on the empty net to stretch their lead in the Saturday afternoon contest, he would have thrown Semborski into the net for the final minute of the outing.

As for the card, there’s no chance it will be worth anything near what a Connor McDavid rookie card will be worth in a decade, but it’s certainly a nice piece of merchandise for the one-day NHL netminder.

Montreal can't panic over injuries to Galchenyuk and Desharnais

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Montreal can't panic over injuries to Galchenyuk and Desharnais

While the loss of the two centers is a crushing blow in the short-term, this team is positioned too well to lose assets in a hasty trade scenario

The Montreal Canadiens will be without top center Alex Galchenyuk and fellow pivot David Desharnais for at least six weeks, perhaps even eight. Both players sustained knee injuries in recent games and the news is obviously not good. But GM Marc Bergevin would make it even worse by jumping into a hasty trade.

True, the Habs now look skeletal down the middle (though Tomas Plekanec isn't a horrible choice for the top line and Andrew Shaw can help out), but this is a short-term problem. Montreal is the top team in the Eastern Conference right now and with netminder Carey Price, they can win more than a few games in the next month or so just on the strength of his gifted play. And the Shea Weber-led defense has been better than expected, so even if the Habs are super-boring and conservative until February, they'll get some results.

Will Montreal still be on top by then? Maybe not, but as long as they don't lose like, 20 games in a row, they'll still be in a playoff position with enough runway left to climb back up the rungs. And as the Los Angeles Kings have proven twice already, you can win the Stanley Cup as long as you get into the playoffs, particularly if your goalie is one of the best on the planet (caveat: being a great possession team helps and the Canadiens are only middling).

But a trade is not the way to go, particularly since the Canadiens aren't deep to begin with. They don't have many attractive pro prospects right now – unless they can drum up interest in a Charles Hudon or Nikita Scherbak – and their best recent draft pick is defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who should be seen as untouchable. I mean, if Pittsburgh offers up Evgeni Malkin for the 2016 first-rounder and a couple other goodies, you make that trade – but I don't think that's going to happen.

If anything, Montreal needs to build their pipeline up, instead of taking assets away from it. The Canadiens ranked just 23rd in the NHL in our most recent Future Watch edition and Sergachev was the only pick they made in the first two rounds this summer. They do have two second-rounders for 2017 (their own and Washington's selection), but again: they need those.

Galchenyuk and Desharnais will be back and in all likelihood, the Canadiens will still be in a playoff position. The short-term may seem a little bleak, but the price of a quick patch isn't worth the long-term loss. Patience is a virtue here.

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The Golden Knights have hit another hurdle with their name, this time with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A trademark request has been rejected, but it doesn’t sound like the team expects a name change.

The Vegas Golden Knights are really having a tough time catching a break in the naming department.

On Wednesday, a trademark request by the Golden Knights was rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in large part because the name and logo were deemed too similar to that of the NCAA’s College of St. Rose Golden Knights.

Yes, that’s right, yet another roadblock between the NHL’s newest franchise and the name Golden Knights.

The first hurdle for the team, and the first real hubbub about the name, came shortly after the naming ceremony in late November. The team had only had the Golden Knights moniker in place for a week when it was reported by The Fayetteville Observer’s Steve DeVane that the U.S. Army was set to review Vegas’ use of the name because it is shared by the Army’s highly decorated parachute team.

And all that came after Vegas owner Bill Foley purposely strayed from his first choice for the team name, Black Knights, in order to avoid any conflict with the U.S. Army’s NCAA athletics programs and after the singular name, Knights, was reportedly avoided in order to forego any conflict with the OHL’s London Knights.

Suffice to say, the naming process has been a headache thus far. However, before those who despise the name and/or logo go celebrating in the streets, it should be noted that the latest naming hurdle likely means nothing in the long run.

“Office actions like this are not at all unusual, and we will proceed with the help of outside counsel in preparing a response to this one,” the statement reads.

In their statement, Vegas also pointed to the shared names of UCLA and Boston, both named the Bruins, Miami and Carolina, both named the Hurricanes, and even pointed out that Vegas and Clarkson share the Golden Knights name. None of this is to mention the MLB’s Texas Rangers and the NHL’s New York Rangers share a name.

“We believe, at the end of the day, all parties will embrace the fact that we are the Vegas Golden Knights and this absolutely will work out,” Craven told Gotz. “I hope people don’t overreact to this at all. We believe everyone will be satisfied. We are only going to enhance the name Golden Knights for everyone. That’s our goal.”

UPDATE: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly has released the following statement:

“We are currently reviewing the Trademark Office's letter and will prepare a detailed response demonstrating why we continue strongly to believe the Vegas Golden Knights mark should be registered in co-existence with the college registration, just as a number of other nicknames currently co-exist in professional and college sports (particularly where there is no overlap as to the sport for which the nickname is being used). That response is not due until June 7, 2017.

“We consider this a routine matter and it is not our intention to reconsider the name or logo of this franchise. We fully intend to proceed as originally planned, relying on our common law trademark rights as well as our state trademark registrations while we work through the process of addressing the question raised in the federal applications.”

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Coyotes’ Cunningham alert, awake and joking with teammates, but remains in hospital

There’s still no word as to what exactly caused Coyotes AHL captain Craig Cunningham to collapse on ice, but the 26-year-old was in contact with teammates and cracking jokes earlier this week.

More than two weeks after collapsing on the ice ahead of an AHL game between the Coyotes and Jets AHL affiliates, news has come that Craig Cunningham is starting to get back to his old self.

According to Tucson’s KVOA, Cunningham spoke with two teammates, Brandon Burlon and Christian Fisher, via FaceTime earlier this week, and both said that things are starting to look up for the 26-year-old Cunningham.

Fisher added that it was nice to see Cunningham, the captain of the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners, smiling again. But he wasn’t just smiling, he was also trying to have a good time with his teammates while hinting that he wants to get back on the ice.

“He was cracking jokes just as if he were here the next day," Fisher told KVOA. "It was pretty funny. He said he wanted us to come pick him up and take him to the rink. He was joking around. Stuff like that.”

The mystery still remains as to what caused Cunningham’s collapse, however. It came just moments before the game was set to start and resulted in medical staff in the building cutting away his equipment in order to attend to him. Cunningham ended up leaving the ice on a stretcher, was transported to hospital and he remained in critical but stable condition for much of the past two weeks.

Still, though, Burlon and Fisher said that there’s no “definitive answer” as to what caused Cunningham’s medical emergency. That’s more than all right with both players, too, so long as Cunningham’s health is starting to look up.

"What we do know is that he is doing well and we are moving forward here," Fisher told KVOA. "Hopefully, he will start the road to recovery now.”

Cunningham has suited up for 319 AHL games over the course of his career, netting 101 goals and 203 points, as well as scoring an additional three goals and eight points in 63 NHL games. He was drafted 97th overall by the Bruins in 2010, but was picked up by Arizona off waivers from Boston during the 2014-15 season.